


In the Dark

by Morpheus626



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:42:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25055644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: A late night walk.
Relationships: Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Kudos: 5





	In the Dark

“How old are we, exactly?” Eugene laughed as they walked down the road. Or more accurately, he was walking. Snafu was half jogging, half jumping and bouncing a bit ahead of him. 

“Old enough to have too much bullshit to deal with, but not old enough to let it keep us from having fun,” Snafu replied. 

“Where are we going anyway?” 

Snafu shrugged. “Anywhere. The night is young, and I’m not ready to go home yet.” 

Eugene rolled his eyes, but let Snafu bounce back and grab his hand to pull him along. “Okay, but only because there’s no work for you or classes for me tomorrow.” 

“Like you’d really let that stop you,” Snafu grinned. “What trouble should we get into?” 

“Why’s it always gotta be trouble with you?” Eugene teased. “We can’t just enjoy a nice nighttime walk?” 

“’Cause you love my trouble,” Snafu hummed. “You’d be bored if we were just out here for a walk.”

It was true, he did. He couldn’t resist Snafu, even on his worst day. Even when they were both in bad moods, just seeing him seemed to brighten the room. 

“There’s not a lot near here, but I know some of the paths like the back of my hand. Used to wander ‘em with Sid and my brother, so we could g-” 

Snafu cut him off mid-sentence with a hug so tight it knocked the air from his lungs. “That’s adorable. I wanna see all of ‘em. See where lil Sledgehammer got into trouble.” 

“Me, get into trouble? Never,” Eugene smiled as he pulled Snafu after him off the road, and onto a small dirt path. 

“Sid tells some different stories,” Snafu replied. “About yourself and him gettin’ into some mischief. And Sid would never lie to me.” 

“He’s a troublemaker; you can’t trust him,” Eugene laughed. 

“Oh sure, ‘cause you’ve never been naughty,” Snafu said. “I’ve seen you be naughty.” 

They giggled as they continued down the trail, finally reaching a small pond. 

“Sid and I used to try and fish here,” Eugene said, as he sat down on the grass near it. 

Snafu peered into it, then sat down beside him. “I don’t see any fish in it.” 

Eugene laughed. “That’s just it. There aren’t any, and as far as I know never were. But we were all of seven, and we thought maybe if we just kept coming back…”

“That the fish would show up for ya?” Snafu squeaked and giggled. “That’s the cutest shit I’ve ever heard. I can just see your little face, all sad cause the fish won’t show up.” 

“We learned to go out to the coast later,” Eugene said. “C’mon. Got more I want to show you. Plus, snakes come out around here at night.” 

“You wait to say that till after I’m sittin’ down?” Snafu asked, eyeing the grass. 

“You are not scared of snakes,” Eugene teased as he stood up.

“Maybe I am. Might need a big strong Marine to come and save me,” Snafu followed, and draped himself over Eugene, clinging to his arm. 

“Tell you what. There’s another path that just up ahead that splits off of this one. I promise there are no snakes on it,” Eugene said. “I’ll keep you safe till we get there.” 

Snafu placed a hand over his heart, all drama and a smile that made Eugene’s heart skip a beat. 

At the next path, he did take Eugene’s hand rather tightly in his. It was incredibly dark now, and the only light either of them had was Eugene’s lighter. 

“We’re good. I’ve gone out at night on these paths for years. Nothin’s gonna get us,” Eugene said, squeezing Snafu’s hand. 

“I know,” Snafu said. “Just don’t like the dark too much anymore. Even if there’s supposedly nothin’ in it. You never really know, ya know?” 

Eugene nodded. “Well, there wasn’t anything out here the night Sid and I got lost, thankfully.” 

“Lost? Thought you knew these paths like the back of your hand?” 

“I do now. Didn’t back then,” Eugene replied. “And we…” 

He paused. Snafu knew about his history, if you could even call it that, with Sid, but it still felt awkward to talk about somehow.

“We had been out here too late. Getting into uh, well. You know,” he started. 

“You were tryin’ to figure out how to hide the hickeys from your parents,” Snafu laughed. 

“Yeah. And we both got so upset over losin’ track of the time, knowing our parents would be out looking for us, that we got all turned around in the dark,” Eugene continued. “My dad found us right about here, clinging on to each other, scared half of a bear or a bobcat finding us, and half scared of what our parents would do to us for not making it home for dinner.” 

“I can imagine his reaction,” Snafu said. “Mild disappointment. He doesn’t seem like he yells much.” 

“He doesn’t. But I got a talking to about being careful, and making sure I knew where we were if we were gonna go exploring,” Eugene replied. 

“You got lost at least once more, right?” 

“Oh, of course,” Eugene laughed. “And that time, they didn’t come looking for us. Waited till we’d found our way back, and found all four of them sittin’ on my parent’s lawn staring us down as we walked up. Disappointed and a little bit suspicious of what we’d been up to.” 

He thought back to how they’d been so eager to get at each other that night, all of sixteen and both still figuring themselves out. After that night, Sid hadn’t ever kissed him again. Was still affectionate, would even hold his hand at times, but it was understood that it wasn’t going further than that. They’d talked about it a few years later, and both were grateful they’d had someone they could be open and safe with. 

The end of the path led them back to the road. “You wanna head home?” 

“I guess. Not gonna lie, hadn’t thought about bears or bobcats till you mentioned ‘em, and now…” Snafu gulped audibly. “I mean, a snake is a snake, whatever, but a bear…don’t think either of us can take on a bear.” 

“That is very true,” Eugene replied. “C’mon then, sweetheart. I’ll get us back home.” 

“Too bad though,” Snafu remarked as Eugene led them down the road, back towards home. 

“Too bad about what?” 

“Was gonna see if making out here in the sticks is as good as you and Sid make it seem,” Snafu replied. “But I don’t really want to be interrupted by any wildlife, either. Kind of a mood-killer.” 

“That is too bad,” Eugene said, already formulating an idea in his head. It wasn’t exactly what Snafu had wanted, but hopefully he’d like it. 

After a good twenty minutes of walking, they reached home and their yard. Eugene waited until they were fully onto the soft green grass, before stopping and pulling Snafu into a kiss. 

“I know it isn’t out on the path, but there really have been reports of bobcats, otherwise I would have just done this out there,” he said in a rush as they broke apart. 

Snafu was barely visible in the dim lighting from the front of the house, but he could make out his smile, and his eyes, so intense as they met his that it took his breath away. 

Snafu pulled him close for another kiss, then down to his knees as he dropped to the lawn. 

“You’re gonna have to show me more about how good this is, out here. Just a few kisses doesn’t tell me nothin’“ he murmured. 

He was grateful for how far out their house was now, because he wasn’t paying any attention to the road or who was on it. He had his hands full of Snafu, and his lips and tongue all over Snafu, and he could think of nothing else. 

They weren’t exactly quiet either, he knew that even if he wasn’t making any effort to be quieter. He couldn’t, with how perfect it all felt. If the night never ended, and he got to spend the rest of his time in Snafu’s arms, kissing and pulling away his clothes and feeling his heartbeat next to his, then that would have been just fine. 

Their shirts had already been tossed away, and it was only when he went for Snafu’s pants that Snafu paused them. 

“I’m tempted, but what time is it?” Snafu asked, breathing hard, whining a bit under his breath when Eugene moved away from him to check his watch. 

“Almost four in the morning,” Eugene sighed. “What time do the paperboy and the milkman get out here?” 

Snafu shrugged. “Probably earlier than we think.” 

“Inside?” 

Snafu nodded, and stretched to grab their shirts. “This ain’t over though, just cause we gotta go in.” 

“Oh, I know that,” Eugene replied. “Just don’t wanna give the milkman a start so early in the mornin’.” 

“That what you’re callin’ it now?” Snafu snickered, taking his hand and leading them to the front door. 

“Excuse me?” Eugene asked.

“Gettin’ to set eyes on that gorgeous, divine,” Snafu started as he unlocked and opened the door. 

“Ah,” Eugene interrupted. “No, actually I meant him seeing us on the lawn like that.” 

“Cause it sure gives me a start, in the best way,” Snafu smiled. “You better ‘give me a start’ when we get upstairs.” 

“Who says we’re makin’ it that far?” Eugene asked, shutting and locking the door behind them after they walked into the dark house, then pulling Snafu in for another kiss. 

The couch would be fine for tonight. He wasn’t going to be able to wait long enough to get them upstairs anyway. Let the cats have it, since they’d surely claimed it since they’d first left the house for their walk. 

If he was honest, he would have taken the floor as long as Snafu was with him.


End file.
